10 weird & funny things about Iceland

There are no family names as we know them. Icelanders use the traditional Scandinavian first names. Their surnames are composed of the first name of their father (or mother) with the addition of -son (son) or-dóttir (daughter). Phone books are also sorted by given name.

Babies get a permanent name only after a few weeks, because the parents want to be sure that the child gets a name that fits the character.

A majority of Icelanders believe in Elves.

It is forbidden in Iceland to keep a snake, lizard or turtle as a pet.

Iceland has no army, navy or air force.

The crime rate in Iceland is very low; there are only 150 prisoners, and the police carry no weapons.

Until 1989, beer was illegal in Iceland. Alcohol is for sale only in state-run stores. Beer in the supermarket is alcohol-free.

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Special places we would have missed otherwise ... We have just returned from a 16-day Iceland tour. The travel book was very helpful, we had downloaded and printed. The PDF travel guide helped us to find nice places. Very organized itinerary with a road map which listed all sites. TOP!Werner Bochar

You also want to discover Iceland? Download the first 2 days of my roadtrip Iceland (Complete Golden Circle tour)!